help for new traveller bne-la ny-la-bne!!!

[bella77]

hi all, please excuse my ignorance but I have some questions re my first O/S trip.

am using my preciously saved QFF points in oct to fly bne-la la-bne (have booked and used 96000 pts plus $450 taxes.) problem is my tour ends in NY so i have to fly from ny to la to fly home to brisbane.

thought maybe my best option is I should just get a $197 AAirlines flight JFK to LAX but don't know how to do this so I still collect qantas frequent flyer points. do i book and pay for it on the AA site? does the qantas points get credited automatically or do I have to join the AA FF program and credit them back that way? is there another oneworld partner airline that is better than AA?

also if my flight leaves for bris at 11.55pm NOV 4. how much time should i leave- was thinking i should get a flight leaving Ny at 2pm ish on nov 4 and getting in at 5pm but worried if something happens and it gets cancelled do not want to miss my flight home!!!! should I fly to LA the day before to be sure? just wanted to spend as much time in NY as possible.

i tried to get a travel agent to assist but seems they didn't want to know me once i mentioned that the BIG flights were already done via FF. Have waited over 24hrs and she hasn't called me back.

Plus i figure it will be cheaper to do myself but I need some advice!!! thanks in advance.

 

[futaris]

Two options (using FF points):

1. Spend 25,000 points on a oneway JFK-LAX award (Zone 4). If you fly from Washington or Philadelphia you might get away with 18,000 points (Zone 3).
2. Contact QF, and modify your return flight from LAX-BNE to JFK-LAX-BNE. This is 64k, vs your current 48k. So you need 16k more points to cover the difference. Add the extra 5k for the change fee, and you will need 21k more. Additionally your flights will be on the one PNR.

Other options are:

• Book a flight online with Virgin America, AA, United, etc. Since you'll be on separate PNRs allow for enough time to collect baggage, change terminals, etc. You should be able to interline your baggage if you fly AA. If you do this or option (1) above, get QANTAS to add an information segment to your QANTAS booking, so that they know what flight your supposed to be coming on, etc.

You can't put your QANTAS FF number in on AA.com, so you'll have to give your number over the phone, or at checkin.

 

[Nutcase]

Two options (using FF points):

1. Spend 25,000 points on a oneway JFK-LAX award (Zone 4). If you fly from Washington or Philadelphia you might get away with 18,000 points (Zone 3).
2. Contact QF, and modify your return flight from LAX-BNE to JFK-LAX-BNE. This is 64k, vs your current 48k. So you need 16k more points to cover the difference. Add the extra 5k for the change fee, and you will need 21k more. Additionally your flights will be on the one PNR.

Other options are:

• Book a flight online with Virgin America, AA, United, etc. Since you'll be on separate PNRs allow for enough time to collect baggage, change terminals, etc. You should be able to interline your baggage if you fly AA. If you do this or option (1) above, get QANTAS to add an information segment to your QANTAS booking, so that they know what flight your supposed to be coming on, etc.

You can't put your QANTAS FF number in on AA.com, so you'll have to give your number over the phone, or at checkin.

Try Expedia.com

You can quote your Qantas FF number and also select your seat.

 

[bella77]

thank you so much for your help.... in retrospect probably should have just booked jfk-lax-bne. but i didn't quite have the points and the award flights were getting taken rapidly. dammit! nevermind- will get it sorted via one of your other options.

if you want to alert qantas re: adding an AA flight can you do it over the phone? do i just ring qANTAS int?

what do you think is a reasonable timeframe?

 

[Optics]

hi all, please excuse my ignorance but I have some questions re my first O/S trip.

also if my flight leaves for bris at 11.55pm NOV 4. how much time should i leave- was thinking i should get a flight leaving Ny at 2pm ish on nov 4 and getting in at 5pm but worried if something happens and it gets cancelled do not want to miss my flight home!!!! should I fly to LA the day before to be sure? just wanted to spend as much time in NY as possible.

Regarding this question, I believe that a 4pm flight out of NY will provide very adequate time. You definitely do not need to depart NY the day prior. To be safe you probably need to book a flight that allows 3 hours between landing in LAX and when your LAX-BNE departs. As this is your first o/s trip, can I assume you do not have significant status with QFF (either Gold or Platinum), and so will not get lounge access in LAX? That being the case, LAX is not a place where you want to spend any more time than is absolutely necessary. Its not dangerous or scary or anything, just very boring .

Anyway, enjoy your first o/s trip , its always an exciting thing to do.

 

[bella77]

thanks so much for your help seasoned travellers!!!

if i have a qantas club membership here and am a silver FF will i have lounge access in int airports?

many thanks

 

[Optics]

thanks so much for your help seasoned travellers!!!

if i have a qantas club membership here and am a silver FF will i have lounge access in int airports?

many thanks

That's good, as your QC membership will get you access to the Admirals Club in the US. The AC is not as good as a Qantas Club (no unlimited free drinks etc), but you do get one drink voucher (still have to tip though) and it gives you somewhere to sit. Your QC membership will also get you access to other One World business lounges when you are flying with the relevant One World airline. The silver FF does not provide anything really useful.

 

[serfty]

That's good, as your QC membership will get you access to the Admirals Club in the US. The AC is not as good as a Qantas Club (no unlimited free drinks etc), but you do get one drink voucher (still have to tip though) and it gives you somewhere to sit. Your QC membership will also get you access to other One World business lounges when you are flying with the relevant One World airline. The silver FF does not provide anything really useful.

It's all good for the OP.

• Admirals Club access when flying QF/AA
• 1 or 2 Drink vouchers, although recently 1 more often than not. Additional vouchers can be had later by simply asking for them
• Tipping is optional - funnily, the vouchers are almost exaclty the same size as a US 1 Dollar note.
• QP only gives access when flying QF, JQ, Ba or AA.

 

[mbeder]

Admirals club also usually provides unlimited tea/filter coffee/water, biscuits, pretzels & apples. Plus you can usually purchase reasonably priced food and drinks (incl. alcohol). While the food/drink freebies are not up to the standard of the QC, you can at least get access to the web via a few PCs, kid's rooms, showers and peace & quiet!
As in Aus, Silver/QC status will of course also provides the ability to book in at the Business Class check-in counters, even when travelling on AA. Enjoy the trip!

 

[v8Statesman]

Your QC membership will also get you access to other One World business lounges when you are flying with the relevant One World airline. The silver FF does not provide anything really useful.

Minor correction. QP (Qantas Club) will only allow access to QF/AA/BA J lounges. None of the other OW lounges are available to you with a QP card. Unless you are flying J or F then your boarding pass speaks for you.

 

[Harpoon]

I am Silver and a QC member like you. Just make sure you take both cards, especially the QC card with you as they often ask for it to cross check with your boarding pass at non-qantas lounges before letting you in.

Having only been through LAX twice myself, I can suggest that 3 or 3 and a half hours would be a good amount of time to allow. As others have said, it's not a very exciting airport so you really don't want to be spending 5 or 6 hours there 'just to be safe'.

Have fun on your trip & tour!

 

[bella77]

thanks so much- you have all been so helpful!!!! am a bit nervous but know i will have a ball!

am trying to find somewhere nice to stay for the last 4 nights in NY city- don't suppose anyone has any suggestions? was thinking mabe 2 nights budget- 2 nights somewhere gorgeous and iconic?

any suggestions again greatly appreciated

 

[bella77]

one more thing....

how many qantas points do you get from a one world airline??

for instance if i was to fly AA from la to NY how many points would I expect to get?

thanks

 

[NM]

one more thing....

how many qantas points do you get from a one world airline??

for instance if i was to fly AA from la to NY how many points would I expect to get?

thanks

It all depends on the fare type you purchase. The fare "booking class" is what is used to determine how many Qantas FF points and Status Credits are earned. Could be anything from none to one point per mile flown for various economy fares.

 

[Homer]

am trying to find somewhere nice to stay for the last 4 nights in NY city- don't suppose anyone has any suggestions? was thinking mabe 2 nights budget- 2 nights somewhere gorgeous and iconic?

There are some great hotels in Manhattan with prices to match. One of our favourites, which I think is reasonably good value, is the Trump International Hotel and Tower. The location is unbeatable - 1 Central Park West - so you look out across Central Park and you are right opposite the Time Warner Center (sic) (where you could spend twice as much to stay at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel).

Trump Hotel and Tower is almost like an apartment building (I think it may have been once) and we usually stay in a suite with a small kitchen and a separate bedroom. If you stay there long enough you can pretend you are living in your own Manhattan apartment...only the bottle of water by your bed has a picture of Donald Trump's head on it...

 

[bella77]

thanks homer will check it out.

donald trump's head eh? what a way to wake up in the morning...

 

[QF WP]

It all depends on the fare type you purchase. The fare "booking class" is what is used to determine how many Qantas FF points and Status Credits are earned. Could be anything from none to one point per mile flown for various economy fares.

bella77, to further expand on NM's point, click on this link and scroll down to the American Airlines section. Then re-read NM's comment and it should make sense.

For example, any AA flight with a fare class of G, L, M, N, S or V is Discount Economy and will earn 50% of the actual flown mileage. Status Credits are earned on all eligible booking classes shown in this list.

Quite a few of us here live in BNE (or in Homer's case, an ex-BNEite), so we know the flights you will be taking. Enjoy your trip.